Scribes Say Summer May See Blackhawks Go All-In on Rantanen

The Chicago Blackhawks may have had Mikko Rantanen in their grasp for a few minutes before moving him onto the Carolina Hurricanes, but they could shoot for a longer stay this summer. The Blackhawks might be gearing up to acquire Rantanen in free agency, according to a report by Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.

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With Connor Bedard the face of the franchise and needing some help, the Blackhawks have ample cap space to take a run at the former Avalanche star. Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson appears ready to accelerate the team’s rebuild and among the huge names they could pitch for, Rantanen might top the list.

As Powers and Lazerus noted, “Davidson will be more aggressive in his pursuit of that high-end type of player come July.” The goal would be to pair him with Bedard and supercharge the team’s offense to go with the franchise’s younger core. Rantanen, a consistent 30-goal scorer and 100-point playoff monster, is one of the league’s premier wingers. Bedard is the budding superstar center.

The Blackhawks Have the Means to Take a Run at Rantanen

Chicago is well-positioned financially to outbid rivals, including the Carolina Hurricanes — who can offer one more year and get the first crack at an extension. With only $60 million committed to next year’s cap and no major internal pay raises looming, Davidson should be able to put something on the table Rantanen has to consider.

If they need more room, the Blackhawks can also create additional cap space by letting underperforming players like Philipp Kurashev walk and potentially buying out contracts like T.J. Brodie’s.

The Hurricanes will be appealing to Rantanen as well. They are legitimate contenders, and with fellow Finn Sebastian Aho on the team, Rantanen would need to leave a friend to join a Blackhawks roster that isn’t playoff-ready yet. However, Chicago’s status as a major market and the opportunity to play alongside Bedard could be appealing.

Reports are surfacing this week that Rantanen said he would have taken less than market value to stay in Colorado. What that number looked like isn’t known. But, now that he’s been dealt, it makes sense to assume he’ll look at money as a major factor in his decision. The Blackhawks have it and might be willing to spend it more than a handful of others.

Chicago is a team heavily motivated to “take the next step.” What they’ve tried hasn’t worked so heavily investing in a sure thing seems like the next logical plan of action. Rantanen is as close to a sure thing the NHL will have to offer the market this offseason.

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